Led by freshman phenom Asa Newell, Georgia looks to ride its momentum into its matchup Saturday against the Texas Southern Tigers in Athens, Ga.

The Bulldogs (1-0) beat Tennessee Tech 83-78 on Monday but that wasn’t the headline from their season opener.

Newell, a 6-foot-11, five-star recruit, led the team with 26 points and 11 rebounds, tying Georgia and NBA great Dominique Wilkins’ record for scoring in a freshman debut at the school. The Florida native became Georgia’s third-highest-rated commit in school history, behind Anthony Edwards and Lou Williams.

“He’s a winning player,” Georgia head coach Mike White said of Newell. “Six offensive rebounds, he’s in passing lanes defensively, he’s altering shots at the rim. He’s mature beyond his years, he’s an accountable player and Asa has high basketball character. … It’s pretty cool to see his name in the same sentence as Dominique Wilkins.”

Newell wasn’t the only newcomer contributing in the first game. Mount St. Mary’s transfer Dakota Leffew chipped in 18 points off the bench, while Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Georgia, which is looking to build off its first 20-win season since 2015-16, hosts the Tigers for the second time ever. The Bulldogs previously topped Texas Southern 92-75 in December 2018.

Texas Southern (1-1) plays its first of two games in three days, facing Georgia Tech on Tuesday. The Tigers nearly pulled off an opening-night upset, leading Xavier with 11:39 left before falling 78-69. Texas Southern earned its first win two days later, beating NAIA member Texas A&M-San Antonio 100-66.

Kavion McClain leads Texas Southern with 21.5 points per game, followed by Kolby Granger’s 11.

“(Kavion) is certainly a bright spot for us that our fans are really going to enjoy,” Jones said. “We really feel like he’s going to make an impact on the team and program this year.”

–Field Level Media